In his discourse with the philosophers of Athens, the Apostle Paul draws a contrast between the gods of the Greeks and the true and living God: “The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in temples made by man, nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all mankind life and breath and everything” (Acts 17:24-25). Paul’s God is no mere household deity or regional patron: He is the creator of the universe. In a similar fashion, we sing hymns like Immortal, Invisible, God Only Wise, O Lord, Our Lord, How Majestic—Psalm 8, and The Earth Is The Lord’s—Psalm 24, which give praise to the Lord who gives life to all creatures, who set the moon and stars in place in the heavens, and who owns “the whole world and all who on it dwell.” Confronted with God’s greatness, and realizing our great need of Him, in the second half of the service we confess our sins, feed at His table, and sing hymns like Not Unto Us—Psalm 115, At The Name Of Jesus, and When I Survey The Wondrous Cross. We acknowledge the worthlessness of our idols (be they silver and gold, or something less tangible), we sacrifice “all the vain things that charm [us] most” to the blood of Jesus, and we confess Him to be the King who wears all wreaths of empire on His brow.
—Henry C. Haffner
